Friday, June 29

10 Reasons to Like Delonte West

All based off of last year’s numbers ...

1. Gets to the line more often than Ridnour or Watson, and not by an insignificant margin.2. Better rebounder than either player, by a smaller margin over Watson, and a larger margin over Ridnour.3. Blocks twice as many shots as either player4. Shot better from the floor than either player.5. Better foul shooter than Watson, as good as Ridnour.6. Player Winning % almost twice as good as either player7. More Win Shares than either player8. West’s numbers were greatly enhanced when he played off guard, as opposed to playing the point. In his minutes on-court at the 2, the Celtics – a terrible team last year – outscored opponents 42% of the time. For some reason, he seemed to shoot better and simultaneously hold opponents in check more effectively as a 2. Those Celtic fans and West followers who argue that he was miscast in Boston as a point guard are right, at least judging by the statistics.9. His shooting percentage, while low last year (43%), was much better in 05-06, when he hit 49% from the floor. If he can find something in between those numbers, I’ll be happy with that.10. West played much better as a starter getting solid minutes than as a reserve getting spot duty. This is true of most players, but it’s a good sign if the Sonics intend to use him as their starting shooting guard.

There, I did it. I found 10 nice things to say about Delonte West. If I keep this up, maybe by next week I’ll be starting a Wally Szcerbiak Fan Club.

Honestly, it’s a logical move for the Sonics to find a secondary player to fill the shooting guard role. If Durant is the focus of the offense, it doesn’t make sense to have a ball-hog type guard that needs 23 shots a night. In Presti’s world of defensive players who can man multiple positions, West is a thoughtful option.

Also, for any Celtic fans who are dropping by, feel free to add your thoughts as to what we can look forward to with West on board. We’d like to fill in the gaps that the statistics leave empty with a better picture of the newest Sonic.

59 comments:

While obviously most of the focus has been on Green and Allen, I actually think West was a key part to this deal: he's been better over the last two years than either Watson or Ridnour, and he'll actually give us about 85% of what Ray provided for far less money and while demanding far fewer touches. Plus, he defends.

As an ardent Celtics fan, I can assure you that you will be pleasantly surprised with DWest. Hes a great shooter from anywhere on the floor, and he plays his ass off every game. He'll also get more blocks than any small guard you've seen. He's a litle crazy, and has some god-awful tattoos, but will fit in nicely with the young team you have. I think you would find that most fans here in Boston would rather have him and the #5 back, than and aging Ray Allen.

Are you drinking my Kool-Aid? Your most recent post above is starting to sound like what I've been getting at all along. West is the key to the deal. Just like when it was first reported Boston intial offer was the #5 pick, Rondo, and Radcliff, but Seattle wanted West so Boston made the Sonics take on more salary in Wally than Radcliff's contract.

West/Gerabable/Wilkins/Szcebiak will be our SG monster, with what remains pairing up to with Durant at SF. Green will jump around position to C, PF, SF, and if he's quick enough on defense SG. Now, all we need is a coach!!!

Yeah, when "McNumbnuts" kept mentioning "Radcliff" I kept laughing my ass off. Good stuff. I'm with Nuss, i'm getting to be more and more at peace with the trade, though I don't think Ray Allen will age that bad in the next 3 years. Also, After Kobe, I think Ray Allen is the premier SG (Dwyane Wade Combo guard, Tracy SF, LeBron SF).

I take the blame on the Radcliff instead of Ratliff, my bad fellas. Thanks for the numbnust comment, McMoron, McDumbass, I've heard them all, very original. Couple other notes:

One thing to hope for or should I say remember about yesterday's trades. We have 2 more 2nd round picks next season. Look at what Portland was able to do with it's mess of pick this past draft. Perhaps we too can make some trades and draft internationals players to put on layaway (in Euro League or whatever).

By the way, speaking of players on layaway overseas. What's the news on the Israeli guy we drafted last season? You know that guy: Yotam Halperin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yotam_Halperin

Perhaps he's our missing link at the PG. Then again he was projected at to a Beno Udrih type player, which isn't saying much. Though you might think that Presit might have some insight into this guys since he was the guy who help the Spur find there other foreign imports. Here's the Euro League stat page on him: http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?clubcode=tel&pcode=AOZ

I don't want to even begin to try to project what his stats mean in NBA terms, but perhaps he help answers the Sonics PG problem.

I really like the West pick up. I think he could be another Antonio Daniels type player.

As I've stated numerous times, Wally is a massively overpaid shooter that will be an expiring contract in 08. I realize that most Sonics fans are being very short-sided with this team as it's do or die.

Additionally, if Ray Allen follows the Mitch Richmond path, this will look like a very nice trade in 2008 when West has turned into a nice player, Wally has been flipped for a 2nd or 3rd option and the Sonics are taking the next step.

In my opinion Jeff Green needs to be the 2nd scorer since he was the key component for letting our best player leave. Whoever we get with wally's money in 08 (or earlier) should compliment Durant and Green

I think Ray is getting an unfair shake in the "shooting guards suck as they age" argument. It's really not accurate to compare Ray Allen to Mitch Richmond or Reggie Miller. Those guys were in nowhere the physical condition of Ray Allen, and - if anything - he's gotten even better the last couple of years as he's aged.

I'm not saying he's going to start averaging 30 points a game in Boston, but I don't think his game will tank down to 18 points, 3 boards like some people are saying. I can see him losing a point or so a game forthe next couple of season, but still worth $10-$15 mil a year...

If you believe that, then you believe that Ray Allen is an exception to a pretty standard decline every jump shooter SG has gone through in their career.

My Mitch Richmond comp comes from basketball-reference, which rates Richmond as Ray's top comp. I would also throw out Allan Houston, Glen Rice, Steve Smith. Just about every SG starts breaking down. I don't think the conditioning has changed that much in the last 5-10 years.

Additionally, Ray is joining a new offense. He will be asked to share shots with Pierce and Jefferson. He's also coming off double ankle surgery.

Maybe, he'll prove me wrong, but I'll side with history and probability until proven otherwise.

Just to be fair, I made the same argument you made 2 years ago when the Sonics were debating whether to sign Allen. I argued that it wasn't a good idea, because in a couple of years he would start to decline. I looked up all the SGs - Richmond, Ellis, MJ, Miller, Rice, Houston, Steve Smith - all those guys. It's a compelling and hard argument for people to take; I know, because I got a lot of crap on this site when I said the Sonics were better off letting Allen go rather than re-signing him.

There is no arguing that Allen's skills will decline. But look at:

-Alex English, who showed no change in his game until he turned 36 (English is more of a small forward, but he was still a jump shooter)-Michael Jordan, who was the best player in the league when he retired at 34

So it is possible for a shooting guard to remain viable into his mid-30s. The statistical evidence suggests that it is more likely that SGs will decline at a fast rate after they reach 31, so it is likely that will happen to Ray Allen as well.

But having watched Allen for the past couple of seasons, I don't get the feeling that this is a guy who will age like Reggie Miller. Allen is strong, has a big ego, and a huge amount of confidence in himself. I don't think comparing him to Richmond is fair - they just have a totally different personality. I won't argue that there is a chance Allen will be a below-20 ppg player for the next couple of years, I just put the likelihood of him maintaing his skills at a 40-50% chance, rather than the 2% chance everyone else seems to be giving him.

If you want to argue that it's not worth paying $17 mil. to a guy with a 50% chance of being good, well, I can buy that argument. I just don't like hearing "Allen is going to fall apart" from everyone all over the internet as if it is gospel truth. These are human beings we're talking about here, not statistical creations in a video game. Sometimes people do things we don't expect, and I personally believe Ray Allen will be that kind of person.

I agreed with you on not resigning Allen and I still do. Resigning Allen cost the Sonics a huge opportunity cost. I don't believe Ray was a franchise player because I believe that there are very few wings that should ever be franchise players. Additionally, not trading him over the past few years diminished the potential return the Sonics got.

You could be totally right about Allen, but Jordan wasn't initially a pure shooter. Toward the end of his career, he became a jump shooter, but for most of his career, he was a slasher and scorer. I didn't really see English, so I can't comment on his style.

"Allen is strong, has a big ego, and a huge amount of confidence in himself. I don't think comparing him to Richmond is fair - they just have a totally different personality."

Wha? What does ego or personality have anything to do with physical decline? Did RayRay's pride keep his ankles from collapsing last year? Was Reggie Miller not perhaps the biggest egomaniac in a sport full of egomaniacs? I really don't understand this argument.

Is anyone else getting a Derrick McKey vibe off of Green? He seems to be the same type of unselfish player that will make the whole team work better together. Add in the fact that Green, West and Durant are all Maryland/D.C. kids and I think we'll see a lot less of our new superstar being homesick.

Well, hopefully Presti has already told them to just rent an apartment together and not get to comfy in Seattle. That outta help with the homesickness for a year.

To those of you who think that DWest is going to replace 85% of Ray, well, what can you say to that type of statement? It's just beyond comprehension...

And finally, Ray is playing as well as he ever has in his career and he is still one of the best and most well conditioned athletes in the league. How you all believe that he will suddenly fall apart just because Mitch Richmond did is hysterical.

As for the go, my rationale is that - like Jordan - he has tremendous pride in his game. That's not to say that Reggie Miller didn't - he had a huge ego as well - but Reggie was willing at the end of his career to accept his physical limitations and work within a smaller role.

Because Ray is stronger physically, I don't think it will happen with him.

Opportunity cost? The 04-05 we were coming off a brilliant season, and Ray took a real hometown discount to stay in Seattle. Perhaps M. Redd would've been more your style?

Yes, part of people's reaction (which seems less crazy that two days ago) is emotional. I wanted to see Ray play his career out here. I wanted to put his jersey in the rafters.

But I don't buy the rapid decline of Ray under this contract. He will be a stone cold sniper for 20 pts a game, a 4 rebounds for the rest of it, because of conditioning (that is only a slight difference from Reggie Miller's 12-14th seasons) He would've been the perfect mentor for Durant, as the guy is pure class and wants to win. Now I fear we are going to have one of these situations that manufactures arrogance... ie get down and kiss LeBron's feet, "the king is coming!"-- so he doesn't leave this small market(either Sea or OKC) after 3 years of losing. Ugh.

So anyone wanna take bets on where we land in the lottery next year? I say number 4.

As a Celtics Season ticket holder and proud owner of a #13 Delonte West Celtics jersey, you should all be extremely excited to welcome Delonte to the Northwest. This guy will become a fan favorite in no time. The guy is a great shooter, he hustles his ass off more than any other player in the league, and his gregarious personality will provide your blog with plenty of hilarious fodder. He's a great player, and a great person, and I hate to see him go.

Delonte is the key to the trade for you guys. You should be thankful. I'm more upset about losing him than the #5 pick/Jeff Green. We loved Delonte here in Beantown.

Let me get this off my chest as a Celtics fan: Seattle got a huge, huge steal with Delonte West. He is better than most Celtics fans think because he was misused in Boston. All they wanted him to do was pass it to Pierce or Jefferson and cut to the corner.

1. He IS a point guard. He can pass and he can handle. His weakness was his right hand, and I will bet you anything he has one in October. More importantly he is a student of the game. No one spends more time in the gym or in the film room than Delonte West. Kevin Durant will also love West's post-entry passing skills.

2. He is a niper. He has one of the prettiest step-back jumpers in the league. But in Boston he hardly used it. They wanted him out beyond the three point line. They took the ball out of his hands. He's also a 90 percent free throw shooter and he doesn't miss often in the clutch.

3. He's completely underrated as a defender. Boston fans would bitch and moan whenever Tony Parker got by him. Well, guess what: Parker gets by everyone. I saw West do as good a job on Dwayne Wade in the Celtics' last two games against Miami as anyone in the league.

4. He's fearless. He'll go on the floor for every loose ball. He'll battle 6-10 guys in the post if he gets caught in a mismatch-- and he'll win some of those battles. He rebounds, he blocks shots, he gets into the passing lanes. His hustle is infectious. He's also completely unselfish. He couldn't care less about stats and he'd play center if you asked him to do that.

Boston traded him brecause he's up for an extenson and they did not want to pay him, because they also have to extend Al Jefferson.

This kid is way better than Luke Ridnour. Trust me. The Cavs and the Pacers, among other teams, have coveted him for years.

I may just get NBA league pass so that I can watch Delonte play in Seattle.

Celtics fan here, I'm telling you right now Delonte West will grow on you very quickly. Like the first guy said, some awful tattoos and the guy is definitely a little crazy but that makes him fun to have around. He plays hard every second hes on the floor. He shoots a good percentage and blocks a ton of shots for a guard.

Heres the deal sonics fans. I m a huge celts fan and what you got in Delonte West is not only skill but pure drive. To go along with that, hes hilarious, i sugest checkin out some of his interviews on youtube. The "sock" one is my favorite. As for Wally Sczerbiak.....hes awful. Hes alwqays hurt an whe he does play its not with much skill. Just know that youll be swallowing his contract and he probably wont play much. Hope this helps. Ill mis you delonte, good ridannce wally.

Like all other C's fans, I'll say you're gonna love Delonte. Hard nose player, tons of heart, and a willingness to do anything for his team.

I will say though, the guy has his faults and he will drive you nuts sometimes. He likes to drive to the hoop on fastbreaks regardless of how many defenders are on him (1 on 3 anyone?), dribbles too much when "setting the offense", and is actually very tentative shooting when playing the 2 position.

I'll miss the guy, but in reality, he doesn't possess the dribbling/playmaking skills of a true point guard and lacks the size and quick shot of a 2 guard.

im a celtics season ticket holder and i can say many good things about west. he plays very had, usualy wins his matchups, unselfish, wants to win as much as anyone, great personality, and so on. but off all those what won everyone over is his WOW factor in his game. he doesnt look like someone who can jump the way he does or make the highlight play but he does more often then most stars.

he was willing to step in front of lebron to get posterized if it mean lebron might miss the shot. he blocked lebron a few plays before. he owns curry, bibby, and just about every pg from out west. he was able to give iverson fits during those matchups. its that type of determination and effort that made the boston fans love this kid.

i wish him the best of luck in seattle and when he plays his first game in boston im sure the crowd will give him a standing O.

Delonte was one of our glue guys, streaky but lethal shooter, hard nose, great at FT line. More of a combo guard. He needs to learn to shoot the ball more rather than pass. He's better when trying to score then when he's trying to create. He'll be solid for you.

Another Celts fan -you will love DWest. Like others have said, he plays all out, is a bit crazy (good way, great quote). nice shot etc. He will fit into the team the Sonics are building. BUT, he is what he is. a nice role player, thats it. He is not a key to anything.

1. He is a very very very heady Ball player that has a nise for the ball. If the Ball is up for grabs and there are a couple of guys going for it D West will be there every time and he WILL widen your eyes and drop your jaw allot.

2. He is great at blocking shots for a point gaurd. NBA Centers watch out D West can sky and will stuff you(Eddie Curry victim twice already) more than once.

3. Rebounding. One of the best for his size. No contest!!!

So why the trade.

The Negatives

1. He is a hard worker, but with his small frame and stuffing guys like Eddie Curry like nothing it catches up to him. In other WORDS he IS INJURY PRONE BIG TIME!!!Now I am not saying he is the second coming of Grant Hill, but he plays all out and that gets him hurt allot and I am not talking just a broken index finger here or there.

2. Strong personality/ Harder to coach. I must admit last year D West and Rondo had some issues so the C's made a choice on draft day that they want to go with Rondo(Who I love, but worry about his plantar fasitus). D West was the point guard for two seasons backing Gary Payton. Last season Doc decided to place D West at the two gaurd spot, becuase Danny Ainge's sapposed brillant tirade i mean trade for Telfair. Well the whole Telfair thing did not go well at all and before you knew it Telfair was benched while Rondo strted to shine. You see D West has such a high BASKETBALL IQ that it requires him to feel the need to lead the team at point. It is not a bad thing it just did not work for the C's. When the C's placed D West and Rondo on the floor together D West had to play two gaurd. The result. D West over riding Doc and playing point gaurd any way. Rondo would be waiting to take the ball up the court and D West would just do it on his own. D West stopped passing to Rondo and odly enough to Gerald Green; D West made things difficult becuase he trully wanted to play point. So Understand no matter how many times D West says I want to do whats best for the team(so if I have to play two gaurd I will like he said last year in all his pre season interviews) is total Bull.

3. D West would have wanted allot of money if the C's resigned him. D West has been a starter for the C's for 3 years. D West will be asking for allot more money then he is worth at the end of his contract unless he expludes on the seen.

I wish D West and all the Sonics fans the best in this trade. After all we have shared many trades with each other. From Dennis Johnson to Vin Baker to Ray Allen.

DWest is a baller. Love the kid. Injury prone, but that's because he throws his body around like a madman.

Great shooter, with range. When he's on.So-so handle; no right hand. None.Excellent rebounder for his position, including offensively.Questionable decision-maker. Best to use him as a scorer.And here's where I always differ with most celticsbloggers: He is way overrated as an on-the-ball defender. Doesn't have the quickness, doesn't move well enough laterally. Gets torched by elite point guards, too small and skinny to play big 2s. I'd give him 4 mil and use him as a sixth or seventh man. Overall, a good pickup. But if you wanted him over Rondo as posted above, we win that switch. There's a lot of negativity over the trade out here, and I understand why, especially with Danny's track record. Another injured player, doesn't fill our needs. But I'm not sure how many Cs fans realize that Allen is quite possibly better than Pierce.

Yet another Celts fan here. Don't get too excited about DWest. I loved him when he first came up, in fact I used his name as my sig. The blocks, the rebounds in traffic, the dead-handed three-pointers were awesome. But despite getting all sorts of floor time, he never blossomed into a force. Make no mistake, he is a bona-fide NBA player with his shot, athletic ability and raw hustle. But he isn't a pg (they are born, not made and he doesn't have the instincts for it). Also he is too small for the 2 with a relatively light physique that also makes him injury prone. Add that to an inconsistent outside shot (he had a prolonged slump last year) and what you have is 6th or 7th role player on any reasonable team.

Wally can shoot the eyes out but is breaking down and has been damaged goods since the day we got him. He can't defend and is slow when he actually does get on the court. With his huge contract, he's a negative for you guys in the trade.

We lost Jeff Green or whomever we would've picked at 5, but after losing out on Odom and Durant I wasn't looking forward to yet another project player with limited upside.

As far as Ray Ray, I'm looking forward to three good years out of him and have been encouraged by the statement here that he keeps himself in good shape. Keeping my fingers crossed on that. Frankly age 31/32 and at his peak was a perfect time to dump him and get value, which you are with both Green and DWest.

Last note - the second round pick we picked up from you guys, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, might surprise. He was projected as a first rounder by many and averaged 17 / 10, pretty good numbers any way you slice it. We'll have wait and to see how his wide-bodied game translates to the pros. Charles Barkley, anyone?

Overall, the trade isn't as one-sided as some people back here have made it out to be. Good luck to you guys.

you will love d-west. he is only 23 yrs old and he is far away from his full potential. he is a all out hustler that just never gives up. he has a drive inside him that players cannot will themselves to have. he will not let you down.

i do disagree with the poster above who stated he had problems of not passing the ball. that is just ridiculus. he does whatever is best for the team not for himself.

while some put him as a good backup i think he will be a good starter (either at the 1 or the 2 position).

delonte can be a huge asset..but..the times he put up 20+ points were when a combination of wally, pierce, jefferson, allen, etc. were injured. Good luck to delonte and wally...as long as they stay healthy they can really help the team out!

As a sonics fan I'm encouraged as it sounds like D. West can be a solid guy to help.

I will predict Boston will get a great season out of Allen enxt year & proably 1-2 more after that. He is a stud & you will love him. The whole East is about the same as the bottom half of the Western conference so if Ray, Pearce & Jefferson stay healthy you will be above 500 & back in the playoffs next year & then who knows - it's the East - anything can happen. You will love Ray

You guys will flat out LOVE Delonte West. Delonte will be a fan favorite within a month. The guy hustles his ass off, is an extremely smart player, is an outstanding shooter... just a flat out stud baller. He puts up stats everywhere. The guy could be an allstar some day if he plays in the right role. Sonics shafted the Celtics in that deal. Seriously.

huge celtic fan here. i am happy with the trade for the C's, but i think it was fine for both teams. west works his tail off. tends to do too much sometime, like take it 1 on 3 when he should pull it out, but he is fearless. hit a game winner for us last year that at the time was huge (we started off like 0-5, we hit a game winner to get that monkey off our back) he will take the big shot. loves to be at the line at the end of games. great FT shooter. not a true point guard, but it sounds like his versatility will be an asset to the Sonics. a good player. as for wally, had a terrible season luck-wise last year. he kept stepping on people's ankles! if he can avoid that, he should be the same old wally he always was. great shooter, tons of enthusiasm, plays with a freshman-walk on type of fire. i always liked both guys, but am excited to have ray allen on our team. good luck!

It breaks my heart to watch DWest leave Boston. I've been following his career since St. Joes. I would have rather seen Gerald Green in a Sonics uni than Delonte. West and Durant are going to be the faces of the franchise. Trust me, people in Oklahoma City are going to love this kid.

As a Diehard C's fan, I can assure you that Delonte will impress the Sonics with his toughness and competitiveness. He's got a lot of leadership qualities. I like him at the point, but he's good at the 2 guard also. He's a lefty which is always a nice attribute for a shooter. Delonte may never be an all-star, but he's going to be in the league for many more years. He is pretty self confident as well and was never afraid to take a shot in a tough situation. I will really miss watching him play for the C's. Besides DWest, I liked to call him Redz.

nother c's fan . . .delonte was my favorite player, i know ray allen is great but i still cant believe my man dwest is gone . . . busts his ass and is by far the funniest player in the nba . . no reason not to love the guy . . he had an off year shooting last year (injuries and being jerkd around by doc) . . but if you want to see check out www.nba.com/hotzones and check out his 2005 stats - dude hits from everywhere on the floor . . he will be missed, and i am now a huge seattle supersonics fan

I am a die-hard Celtics and Delonte fan. Delonte is an amazing player and person. I know this because i watch all the games he played from 04-07 and i met him.You will not ever find a player who gives you a 100% no matter what his condition is. He brings alot of heart to the game. He hates to lose and it would make him cry. He is sick at basketball and obviously averages more points then the guards in Seattle. No OFFENSE!!

As a lifetime Celtics fan, I hate this trade for us. Giving up the #5 pick for an aging player, in a position we have no need for is crazy. I told someone before the draft that rumor was so far off that it could never possibly happen. I was very sadly mistaken.

In addition to losing the #5 pick, we gave up Delonte West. You will love him. He plays hard every second he is on the court, and he has a burning fire inside him to win.. win.. win. He's also an incredibly hard worker and a great personality - a joy to have in the locker room.

It's been said about other players, but I'm going to say it again about Delonte.

He's not the first kid picked on the playground, but somehow - he always ends up on the winning team. (most things being equal). The Celtics just flat out sucked, so he had not real chance to show that - but I firmly believe it.

He is going to do the little things on the court that make a difference. The biggest mistake you can make is to put him on the bench.

Out of selfishness, I'm hoping that Delonte returns to Boston when his contract is up - but if I were him - I would keep myself as close to Kevin Durant as possible.

Good luck to all Seattle fans. I'm hoping we play each other in the finals one day - but I no longer have much hope of my team getting there.